


And Then There Were Five

by Dr_Mini_Me



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Animagus, F/M, Marauders' Era, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-12-03
Packaged: 2019-05-14 15:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14772044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dr_Mini_Me/pseuds/Dr_Mini_Me
Summary: Katie McCormac had the unfortunate luck of running into a big black dog in the middle of the night...or was it that unfortunate at all?





	1. Chapter 1

A/N: So! Based off the prompt, "Write about a character joining a group (such as The Death Eaters, Order of the Phoenix, Marauders, etc.)" For the Quidditch League FanFiction Competition on FF.net

Essentially, I have written about joining the marauders with an OC because...well I like OC's.

Word Count: 2,484

'Character's Internal Thoughts.'

* * *

I'd been working on my transformation for nearly two months now, and I thought I'd finally be able to transform with little difficulty, so with that thought, I took to the Forbidden Forest.

After a few minutes of contemplation in the silent but unsettling atmosphere of the forest, I forced myself to focus and shift my bones, morph my muscles and flesh into that of my animagus form.

I reopened my eyes; I blinked a few times to taking notice of the changes in my body and noticing more of the environment through my newly enhanced senses. My ear twitched at the sound of leaves crunching, a fast beating heart somewhere nearby, and I took off out of pure instincts.

'Is it weird that I kind of wanted to nibble on the leaves down here? I mean it probably is right now considering I think my little bunny heart might give out from fear.'

I stopped, my hind legs halted immediately, my nose twitched. I smelt something strange in the air, something...foul, but my little eyes only saw blue and green surrounding me. There was nothing out of the ordinary so far.

'Wait…Do I hear breathing?'

Another leaf crunched, and I shot off before I'd even told my little hare body to move. It seemed that my instincts were taking over, I was starting to worry that they would take over and I'd start developing a need to chew on everything even as a human.

Something heavy followed me, thundering steps shook the ground beneath me while I ran. I'd paused for less than a second, wondering, I should go left or right, my decision was made for me in a violent fashion.

A heavyweight hit my side, it was light, but still large enough to knock me onto my back. I moved gingerly, sharp stings ran up my side.

I couldn't see past a large, dark figure with heavy slobbery breath, it was a threatening image. I panicked, I thought I'd be better off as a human than a hare.

I flung myself sideways, forcing an immediate transformation back to my regular human form, in an attempt to fend off whatever the threat was.

"What the hell?" I blinked, staring at the black shaggy dog who seemed to just stare back, his chops hanging open. The mutt's eyes drifted down to my exposed chest?Forcing the question, much to my horror; can dogs actually be attracted to witches?

'I thought there was some sort of species barrier but this mangy thing was proving me wrong.'

"Just eat me already, you perverted MUTT!" I shouted as I grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it towards the dark beast, it almost grinned at me with it's toothy overbite.

"A-are you...enjoying this? You're a bloody dog!" I cried astounded, the understatement of the century, by the way. I was flabbergasted, befuddled, and completely unsettled as I tried to cover myself and preserve at least a little modesty.

"Raur." The mutt's head bounced up and down, it hadn't lost that charming toothy grin, I processed the fact that it'd just responded to me. My mouth gapped, making it's body shake as it made noises I could only interpret as laughter.

'If I were a betting witch, I'd say this was another witch or wizard but...I'm not.'

So instead, I supposed that I'd found a particularly humanish dog, one that had, had its world rocked, when it's dinner, turned into a fully..ish, grown human being.

I continued to stared at him, for a good minute, as the mutt, apparently, calmed itself and I decided that I needed to leave. It was getting late and it was nearly a full moon. I didn't want to be out here much longer, this had been a training exercise, to prove to myself that I could do it.

My mum and dad had swore up and down that I'd never be particularly talented with such complicated magic, they recommended that I stuck to 'pure-blood' hobbies. Those included; reading, making dry small talk, and being sold to the highest bidder, also known as, marriage.

"Raur?" This time the mangy looking thing actually sounded concerned, I'd continued to stare at him. Possibly it worried that my brain had simply turned to mush and I was at risk of it flowing out of my ears.

"Right." I stood, ignoring the odd sense of embarrassment, thanks to the dog that still watched me. I elected to take off for now, make it back to the edge of the forest, where I could just casually stroll away, making it back to my Ravenclaw bed.

I sped off and jumped off a particularly large tree root and focused on my animagus form. My little legs ran even faster after I heard a long, loud howl behind me.

It felt like he was calling someone but that's not possible. He was a simply stray dog, one that no one wanted, but I was surprised to have found it in the Forbidden Forest.

* * *

"Katie? You with us?" A giggling black-haired girl, named Anne Rockham. She waved a hand in front of my face, drawing my attention back to her for the moment. We hadn't always gotten along, mainly because she was a half-blood, and one that was all too happy to cut down any educational competition to get the best grade.

'Ravenclaws were funny like that. We'd band together for in life or death situations, but...when it came to class, you better be prepared to fight dirty.'

"Oh, yeah. So, divination, right?" I checked, tucking a blonde strand of hair behind my ear, trying to focus on both eating my breakfast and listening to the mundane small talk I should be engaged in.

I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, and when I had woke this morning, focusing in general. I couldn't get the black dog out of my head.

He seemed so...human but, that couldn't have been possible. I didn't notice any other witches or wizards, outside of the professors that is, with enough magical control to do such a thing. Well, no one else outside of myself.

"Mhm. We're meant to chart out the..." I lost interest, quickly, I took another spoonful of porridge . I was so focused on my food and my impending class that I didn't notice the conversation come to a standstill, I was surrounded.

"So...what are you eating? Porridge? That's interesting, eh, James?" The deeper voice came from my right and startled me, I dropped my spoon getting splattered with the slimy liquid in the process.

"I'd say so, Sirius. I assumed you'd be into carrots, right, Katie?" A second voice quipped, this time on my left.

I gave Anne a quick look, she was officially speechless, a rare occurance to say the least, but it was good for me. She didn't understand what the pair of idiots were alluding to. I wasn't registered for fear that the letter would be sent back to my parent's estate and I couldn't have that.

"Thats Kathryn to you. Now if you please, leave me alone." I grumbled, as I wiped the porridge from my sleeve. Standing I decided that I might as well make my way down to Potions, it wasn't like I'd get to eat in peace now.

"Oh, looks like we're walkin' her to class." Sirius grinned, I eyed the pointed edge of his tooth for a moment before turning forwards again, making sure I didn't run into anyone or anything. My heart thumping in my ears, I swallowed hard, would they turn me into the ministry?

I knew of James Potter and Sirius Black, but for different reasons, we were the Black's neighbour and our dads did business together which had included more than one dull evening together. James, however, I knew him for his cruel and ultimately arrogant nature, there was a particular incident with Severus Snape, a rather greasy Slytherin and a tree.

I didn't care for any of them, but somehow, Sirius seemed less cruel out of the three of them, a tremendous feat considering he was a Black. I figured I would need leverage so as soon as we reached an empty hallway I turned on my heel and pulled my wand, demonstrating that I was serious.

"Oh hell..." Potter mumbled wided eyed, he glanced towards Sirius.

"How did you know?" I hissed, I wanted to appear ferocious whilst also keeping things quiet. They obviously knew too much, but how? I hadn't told anyone what I was doing.

'I'd merely pinched a Mandrake leaf from Professor Slughorn's private stores, library books had been my best-friend's 'till now. I hadn't told anyone.'

"Woah" Black held up his hands. "Look, your secret's safe!" Black kept his hands raised in surrender, but I didn't lower my wand, they were known for their trick's. I wasn't going to be extorted.

"How. Did. You. Know?" I raised both brows, my eyes flickering between them both, searching for some sign of dishonesty, but there was none.

"Sirius saw you naked!" Potter yelled loudly, my cheeks turned red as I tried to slap my hand over his mouth.

"Shut up!" I hissed again, more than a little embarrassed, like a snake that had bit its own tail. 'Merlin! People could be walking by!'

"Prongs! You said you wouldn't snitch." Sirius had the gaul to look annoyed rather than embarrassed, as I was, giving his friend a miffed look before crossing his arms over his chest.

"Just...what do you want?" I huffed, I took a step back and let my hands fall to my sides. Surely, if they were going to turn me in, they would have done it by now.

"Well...we were thinking, you might be helpful." Sirius smiled nodding. I furrowed my brow as I motioned for them to continue on with my hands in a rolling motion.

"See, our friend. Remus, he has a... little furry problem, it's all fine but...people are starting to ask questions." Potter continued, I felt like a third wheel with just how in sync they were.

"What?" I asked confused, and waited a moment for them to explain, but nothing came. They just continued to grin at me, much to my own frustration.

"He's got, a a-hem, furry little problem, you know, around the full moon?" Sirius hinted giving me a knowing glance and mimicking dog ears with his fingers above his head...oh. Oh, jeeze.

"He's a werewolf?" I was even more taken aback now, blinking stupidly, my mouth fell open, as if that would help me make sense of this. How the hell had a werewolf gotten onto the school grounds without anyone knowing? Especially as they were were considered to be such dangerous creatures!

'Merlin's beard. I've been out in the forest on full moons!'

"Yeah but that's the the thing you can help, it's more that we say it's his furry problem but see..." Potter jumped in again, then seeming to need a moment to better explain it to me.

"People hear about a rabbit but no one ever sees a bloody bunny." Sirius had less decorum about it, just spitting out the fact that they wanted me to shift into Animagus form for their mate to hold as a cover-up. I supposed it might become odd that he claimed it was a mischievous rabbit but no one ever saw one in his house or dormitory.

"And if I don't want to?" I crossed my arms over my chest in defiance.

"Then I guess we'll just have to head off to the Ministry for a bit." Potter shrugged, looking nonchalant about it as he inspected his hands.

"Are you havin' a craic with me right now?" I snorted.

"Do that, and I'll have a nice chat about Sirius Black being a bloody mutt." I was on the warpath, matching their threat with my own.

"Aw, come on, Cottontail. Join us, 'The Marauders'. We're not asking you to strip for us again!, Just let our dear ol' Remus hold you, just for a second and it'll all be over and done with!" Sirius threw his arm around my shoulders, acting a lot friendlier than I felt.

I weighed the options, their course of action did seem much easier.

'I wouldn't be put in Azkaban, wouldn't be a shame to my entire family… but I may still have to deal with the fact that Sirius Black got a good long look at my naked arse.'

"Fine." I sighed, ignoring the fact that I was just called Cottontail.

"Brilliant! Your initiation into the amazing and mischievous Marauders is complete right after this." Potter grinned a little too much at me as he yanked out a folded piece of blank yellowed parchment from his robes.

"The map already? Really?" Sirius sounded surprised as was I …'what map?' I watched as Potter tapped 'the map' three times and muttered the word Cottontail under his breath. 'Seriously? I'm forever 'Cottontail' now?'

"She's already had a good long talk with you, you've stared at her tits, mate! For her it's all downhill from here." Potter shrugged as he held out the mangled parchment.

"I'm right here you know! And for your information, he almost killed me!" I was confused and cross when I took it, almost crumpling it in my hands.

"I wasn't going to eat you, I was just playing." Sirius mumbled, as he took a step back. His arm slipped away and the bell tolled, classes were beginning. Terrific.

"Really? Playing? You swipe at things when you're playing?" I scoffed, watching him my hands on my hips after I'd shoved my wand back into my robe's pocket. He nodded slowly, eyeing me with some confusion.

"Is this good? Is this playing for you?" I slap his shoulder once, then continued with some force. I was irritated with his nonchalant attitude and I wanted to make that known.

'You don't play with bloody animals by smacking them!'

"Ow! Bloody hell woman!" Sirius didn't move away but, let out varying expletives with each hit.

"Alright! Let's just do the map later." Potter saved his friend by pulling him away, I missed the last smack with the blank parchment they insisted was a map. The hallway began to fill, both worrying me and reminding me that classes should be starting soon.

"What about my "initiation"?" I used my fingers, mocking their seriousness, with air quotes.

"You're already initiated with an arse like that, Cottontail." Sirius winked over his shoulder, giving me the thumbs up, despite my glower. Potter continued to drag him away, leaving me in the hallway with three things on my mind.

'I have a shitty piece of parchment with nothing on it, I was apparently a Marauder now, and I'm going to be late for potions.'


	2. Chapter 2

 I raised a brow with my arms crossed over my chest, "you want me to do _what_ now?" My tone was incredulous and I'm sure we looked quite suspicious as I muttered to Black and Potter in a quiet hallway.

"Shift. That's all." Potter furrowed his brow, glancing to Black for help. The way his brows were so close together gave me the impression that he couldn't figure out why this was such a difficult concept for me to grasp. 

I let out a short snort before glancing up and down the hallway for anyone who might have wandered this way-just in case. It was after dinner after all and we only had about an hour or two before curfew would start. I'd already dealt with girly whispering behind my back from the spectacle that was Sirius Black and James Potter chatting me up during breakfast.

"Merlin, Katie," Black sighed, rolling his eyes at my paranoid behaviour, "stop being so paranoid. It's a foolproof plan."

What did he know? He was popular with the girls-and his fans were viciously protective of him! Ever since breakfast, I'd been given glares cold enough to stop your heart from ticking. Their messages read out loud and clear in my mind: stay away from the marauders. Didn't need a rumour started about us havin' a bloody threesome in secret and getting jumped on my way to the library, now did I?

"I didn't realise the definition of foolproof was insane and idiotic." I scoffed, leaning against the cold stone wall behind my back. It felt nice through my robes and button up, calming almost. 

A heavy weight was thrown around my shoulders, forcing me away from the calm "look, Cottontail. You're one of us now, so you'll have to bend the rules now and again." Black's breath was hot against my neck and his mumbling blew a stray blonde curl into my eye. 

I focused on the curl he'd dislodged, fishing off of my eyeball after pinching my lid shut while feeling my annoyance spike sharply. Somehow they felt like I owed them a favour, as if they were owed such a thing only because they hadn't tattled on me. The two idiots obviously forgot that they were illegal as well-actually I'm not 100% sure but if push came to shove, I'd bet on it.

However, I didn't particularly  _want_ to antagonise them right now either. They were famous for the slew of pranks-both mischievous and cruel-and I didn't feel it necessary to spend the rest of this term looking over my shoulder. I pursed my lips in thought instead of snapping at them. This was a one time thing, right?

There weren't many boys in Gryffindor, and even fewer that would actually think to question where Remus's rabbit went after the first sighting. Plus, Remus was rather sweet. I felt like that he and I probably would have been great friends if it weren't for the fact that he was constantly trailed by the two in front of me. 

I'd met him in the hospital wing before dinner, not entirely of my own volition, of course. I'd been dragged there after classes by his friends who felt that I'd be a might more sympathetic to his plight after meeting 'the poor sod you'll be doing a favour for'. His friends were idiots, but they were obviously clever idiots. 

Unfortunately they were right about the pity angle they'd stacked onto this endeavour. While I hated the next word that was about to come out of my mouth, I comforted myself with the thought that it'd only be this once.

"Fine. But I'll be shifting  _alone._ " I held up a finger as though my narrowed eyes and sharp words wouldn't be enough to show them that I was serious. 

Potter's face was the first to morph into pure delight and excitement, "alright! We'll have to figure out some way to smuggle you in though." He frowned, his gaze turning to Black at the same time mine did. 

"Broom closet?" Black's brow was furrowed in concentration as he seemed to consider all the possibilities. "No, maybe a passageway? Isn't there one by our door?"

I glanced back at Potter who was nodding and grinning, "perfect! The doorway is right down here too." I watched as he pointed down the hall at a portrait of a knight who spent most of his days running through the backgrounds of the portraits that contained all the women from the 15th century. 

"Of course." I frowned after I'd grumbled to myself. _O_ _f course_ there were secret passageways in Hogwarts, and,  _of course,_  the one that was near the Gryffindor house would be behind a perverted knight. 

"Brillant, James." Black grinned, pulling me off the wall and towards the portrait. "You're not too bad yourself, Mr Black." Potter was equally as giddy, trotting ahead of us while rubbing his hands together. 

I let off a few different and rather creatively curses in my head while Potter waved to the knight and had a few words with him in front of us. I supposed I'd been pulled back so I wouldn't have the exact method in which their little group got around the prefects at night. I lingered next to Black even when Potter glanced over his shoulder before going back to the portrait and having a laugh between themselves. 

"Get ready, Cottontail. Theres about to be a whole new world for you to smash into facts." Black mumbled to me before I cut him a look that I hoped communicated my irritation with him right now. "Great. So excited."

* * *

I ruffled my ears and whiskers, uncomfortable with the amount of sound and people that were currently flocking around me. They were so incredibly loud, the increased volume took a moment to get used too considering I'd only ever shifted away from people. I mean I'd done with the intent of not being reported back to the Ministry and getting sent to Azkaban, but the sheer sensory overload seemed to be a terrific reason as well. 

"She's so cute" My eyes darted to stare up at a blonde hufflepuff girl who was cooing at me with a soppy looking grin, "how old is she?"

"I'm not sure," Remus's thumb stopped it's stroking for a second.

I thumped my back leg against his stomach in hopes he'd get the message and continue to pet me. "I'd say maybe two years-" I felt my entire freeze when a hand slipped under my belly and suddenly I was airborne. "-actually, less than a year. "

"Really?" My ears flattened against my skull while my legs began to flail without my saying so, while Remus inspected my body, "shes so big though." I could hear the stupid Hufflepuff girl's confusion, I was rather large for a bunny but I'm not entirely sure I  _was_ a bunny. 

"She's rather small." His eyes so large and black yet white at the same time that a sense of terror filled my chest as I started sucking as much air as I could. "Really? I thought bunnies were supposed to be smaller." A boy spoke up this time, but I didn't recognise the voice, nor did I care to actually move so I could see the lad. 

Staring at Remus's eyes, I seemed to make a quick decision that I wanted to be put down while he shook his head, "she's a hare, I think." He tilted my body slightly, lifting my legs off of his fuzzy white blanket and forcing my mouth to open in what I thought was going to be growl-it was not. 

Instead of a growl, or even a haughty snipe, I let out some sort of high pitched mewl. I don't think I'd ever made that sound before but it caused Remus's eyes to widen. I was beginning to learn that small mammals have a great concept of white and black, something that I imagined helped with predators but not teenagers.

"You're scarin' her, Moony." Suddenly Black spoke up, sounding nearly as panicked as I felt at the moment and reminding me that both he and Potter were still here. Great. I'd never live that pathetic whimpering noise down after this, would I?

When his eyes grew even larger I could see more white than I thought possible and for some reason that terrified my animal-self more. My tiny mind seemed to think that if I could get my legs up and under Remus' hand, I could push him away from me-that I needed to feel the ground under me instead of floating just above it. 

I was actually quite surprised that he hadn't dropped me despite the fact that I was pretty sure I'd at least scrapped his hands in my flailing, cutting them considering the new irony scent that was so close to my nose. I was trying my best to calm myself down, that I wouldn't  _actually_ die if I fell from a few centimeters above his lap but it wasn't working. Everything was so bright and these people were so loud. 

"Woah there," he spoke softly to me when he'd brought my frame closer to his face. "It's alright, Katie." My right ear twitched against my head at the sound of his velvety words, feeling panic seep in through my human side.

He'd just said my name.

My _human_ name-the one that people actually knew me by. 

Well if scratching didn't work and he'd decided to just throw bloody privacy to the wind then I'd nip him. My hare brain obviously agreed, forcing my teeth to dig into the side of his thumb with some force before I thought it through. "Oh!" A girl squeaked, sounding surprised and worried for some reason, as though a rabbit might actually be able to just bite his bloody finger clean off.

"Are you alright?" My stare turned to the Gryffindor girl that suddenly darted up to his side, reaching for the hand that my teeth hadn't quite released yet. "It's fine," his face tightened when I pulled my mouth away from his thumb, but he seemed to finally understand my wishes and slowly lowered me back to the blanket.

Squeaky Gryffindor girl grabbed up his hand and inspected it. "She got you good." I eyed her lips as they pursed, giving me a scolding glance. "No wonder you're always covered in scratches with a thing like that," I mentally gawked at the girl as she actually tried to tsk an animal. 

"No, I deserved that." Remus's throaty chuckle drew my attention away from the brunette girl who thought an animal would give a flying shite if she tsked it. "I should've picked her up better." I gave him a small nod but still nudged towards the hand he'd laid flat against his thigh, hoping he'd possibly continue to stroke my back.  

"But you're her _owner_ , she sho-" The girl spoke up, shaking her head when Remus interrupted her while his hand raised before petting me softly again. "I don't  _own_ her-" 

"I thought she was your pet," She frowned and my logical self freaked out. Wasn't the entire point of this to prove that the bloke wasn't a werewolf? That he just had a bloody rabbit? 

"I mean she's technically my pet, but not like a cat or toad." I twitched my whispers when his voice went up an octave while he apparently rambled. "She-she's closer to an owl, have to treat her carefully and with respect, Mary." He appeared to be correcting her, though I wasn't sure if I was fond of being compared to a toad or owl of all things. 

I was sure that when I went back to my human form I'd likely end up regretting everything happening right now. Actually, I imagined that when I went back to my human form, I'd regret  _a lot_  of things. His steady hand on my back was the only weight that stopped me from running out of the hospital wing out of pure panic. 


End file.
